Resources

MACRA Quality Payment Program’s first performance period gets underwayThe first performance period of MACRA’s new Quality Payment Program officially began on January 1st looking to revamp how clinicians are paid for services to Medicare beneficiaries, emphasizing quality of care services rather than a fee-for-service framework. “People are still getting up to speed and learning what the rules of the road are,” Kate Goodrich, MD, Director of the CMS Center for Clinical Standards and Quality, during the HIMSS17 Conference.(Health Data Management, February 22)

Michigan health officials order McLaren Flint Hospital to address Legionella issuesAccording to the state health department, McLaren Flint Hospital was associated with 21 Legionella cases in 2014, 29 cases in 2015 and two cases in 2016. The CDC made recommendations to Genesee County and McLaren Flint in October and November 2016 on how to reduce Legionella in the water supply. The hospital invested hundreds of thousands of dollars in equipment and ongoing testing and treatment.(Becker’s Infection Control & Clinical Quality, February 15)

Value-based Care to Test Small, Rural Provider HIT in 2017Small and rural facilities are significantly less prepared for value-based care models than their urban counterparts. A recent Government Agency Office report details many challenges faced by smaller, rural hospitals in its attempt to underscore this lack of preparation. Read about the challenges these hospitals face when preparing for the new payment model.(EHR Intelligence, February 8)